Twilight is a lot of fun, especially if you lived through the 2008 craze.
Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) trades sunny Phoenix for rainy Forks, Washington, to live with her dad. At school she meets Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), a pale, moody classmate who turns out to be a vampire. What follows is a slow-burn teen romance with a little danger on the side.
Stewart is the real anchor. Her Bella is awkward, guarded and a bit intense, which feels true to being a teenager. Pattinson grabs the attention with all those brooding stares, and the charm is there even when his lines land stiff. Billy Burke quietly steals scenes as Charlie, Bella’s dad. Their awkward dinners are some of my favorite moments. Taylor Lautner pops up as Jacob, and you can already see the fan favorite taking shape.
Director Catherine Hardwicke turns the Pacific Northwest into a character. Forests, rain and gray skies give everything a dreamy, slightly spooky mood. The thunderstorm baseball game is still a blast, and that piano lullaby will get stuck in your head.
It has problems. The dialogue gets cheesy, and some lines are so serious they loop back around to funny. The first half drags, and the villain vampires barely register as a threat. Then there’s the sparkle. Love it or laugh at it, the skin-in-the-sunlight effect hasn’t aged well.
This isn’t Interview with the Vampire, and it never tried to be. It’s a rainy-day romance that knows exactly what it is.
Grab a blanket and let it be sweet, moody and a little silly.
